Originally Posted by
Less Hair
You'd need to be a diplomat to have certain, limited immunity from local laws.
I completely agree that nobody should expect immunity from local laws – pilot, tourist or otherwise. That’s not what I’m arguing for. The concern is what happens in countries where there are already serious, well-documented issues around corruption and fair-trial standards, like Kazakhstan. In that situation, wouldn’t you expect your own government and employer at least to step in to insist on basic safeguards – proper forensics, access to a competent lawyer, translations, the right to present evidence, etc.? Targeting of foreign nationals is on the rise in a number of jurisdictions, and without any real backing from your government or company you are completely at the mercy of that system. For crews who only end up in these countries because they’re rostered there for work, I think that’s a legitimate professional concern, not a request for special immunity.